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No Quarter live


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17 hours ago, juxtiphi said:

Been listening to Bootleg Zeppelin for 35 years I agree 77 is different but I will put No Quarter from 06-23-77 up against any other no Quarter. Not that it beats any of them but it is just as good as any of them.

Everything works in this version, from the incredible Theremin Blossom all the way down to the Dogs Of Doom Are Howlin More 

Hard to argue. Still a bit to drawn out, but not by much. They were definitely feelin it that night. Wow.

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On ‎11‎/‎08‎/‎2016 at 7:34 PM, juxtiphi said:

Been listening to Bootleg Zeppelin for 35 years I agree 77 is different but I will put No Quarter from 06-23-77 up against any other no Quarter. Not that it beats any of them but it is just as good as any of them.

Everything works in this version, from the incredible Theremin Blossom all the way down to the Dogs Of Doom Are Howlin More 

Yeah the Badge holders version would probably be in my top 10, when I say a bit less than the sum of its parts I don't  mean bad at all just that I don't think they build atmosphere though out as consistently as some other versions.

I'd guess a top 10 of something like...

21/3/75

25/3/75

27/3/75

18/5/75

23/5/75

24/5/75

28/4/77

11/6/77

21/6/77

23/6/77

Its strange really, overall I'm more of a 69-73 fan first but the latter No Quarters are probably my favourite thing Zep ever did, live or studio. Its also I think the track where Page's choppy and often harsh style/sound of the latter years makes most sense(well that and Trampled Underfoot) playing off the contrast of those rough edges and the atmospheric backing.

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Badgeholders is a good one for 77... but it is my lonely opinion that the choice to go into a major tonality on the keyboard solo was not a good one. I way prefer when the song stays in minor mode.  My two cents. Anyone out there agree??;)

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Yeah again I'd agree that the minor chord piano solos from 75 do tend to link into the two and three piece jams that follow more successfully where as in 77 it becomes more a series of separate sections which seemed to be intentional with adding the blues section and other bits. The 77 version that actually holds together most successfully for me is the second destroyer show from the 28th, even with nutrocker and the blues section I think theres a nice sense of grandeur though out that works into the three piece jam.

I'm not such a big fan of the earlier 75 versions when JPJ was still on keyboards, as with 73 I think his own solo was more noodling and directless plus I think he adds much less to the three piece solo than it does latter.

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10 hours ago, porgie66 said:

Badgeholders is a good one for 77... but it is my lonely opinion that the choice to go into a major tonality on the keyboard solo was not a good one. I way prefer when the song stays in minor mode.  My two cents. Anyone out there agree??;)

Yep, sure do agree. The song needed to remain in a minor chord throughout to maintain tone and texture, second leg of 75' & EC have the best versions of NQ without exception. By 77' they were trying to be too many things at one time in that song and for me it was just a mess, some excellent playing but a bloody mess IMO. Plus Nutrocker? Seriously? Why the hell did Zep decide to go all ELP in the middle of a great song is beyond me. Every time I hear a version with Nutrocker I think of Penelope Pitstop and Dick Dastardly, just ruins the song.

Give me March - May 75' NQ over all the others though I do like the 73' versions as well.

However I would like to mention they did bring it back to a workable structure in 79'. Some great versions there but again JPJ overdoes it on the grand piano a bit but at least the blues jam and, argh, Nutrocker are gone.

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1 hour ago, IpMan said:

Yep, sure do agree. The song needed to remain in a minor chord throughout to maintain tone and texture, second leg of 75' & EC have the best versions of NQ without exception. By 77' they were trying to be too many things at one time in that song and for me it was just a mess, some excellent playing but a bloody mess IMO. Plus Nutrocker? Seriously? Why the hell did Zep decide to go all ELP in the middle of a great song is beyond me. Every time I hear a version with Nutrocker I think of Penelope Pitstop and Dick Dastardly, just ruins the song.

Give me March - May 75' NQ over all the others though I do like the 73' versions as well.

However I would like to mention they did bring it back to a workable structure in 79'. Some great versions there but again JPJ overdoes it on the grand piano a bit but at least the blues jam and, argh, Nutrocker are gone.

Haha, same here! Agreed, a Christmas boogie tune in the middle of a dark piece about asking and giving no quarter? LOL. I guess it was comic relief. Plus, Page's solos are almost always meandering and sloppy in 77 versions.  Cleveland and Badgeholders are good ones, but most are pretty bad IMO.  I think the 73 tour solos are his best. 

Yeah, for the upcoming Knebworth shows they were trimming the fat and I think it was a good move after the excess of 77. Its amazing that Jimmy could play for 3 plus hours and wield that double neck around when he look malnourished and on smack. I think as the tours got bigger they lost touch because of the excesses of stardom and just overindulged too much, on and off stage so they tried to reign it in, at least on stage.

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1 hour ago, bluecongo said:

Badgeholders 77 is just the ultimate version.   Out of this world they just nailed what they were trying the whole tour to do.  

Cooenhagen 7.24.79 another great one, concise.  

 

I disagree, I think the original soundtrack version from the 2LP is the best ever, especially Jimmy's solo. That is one of his all time greatest solos IMO. 

 

BTW: I really like your remasters and Four Blocks In The Snow. ;)

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I'd definitely take 73 versions over early 75 versions as there pretty similar just with Page not as fluid. Again though I think those earlier live versions suffer from the focus being almost totally on Page,  its a great solo definitely but that's what it is a solo with limited backing from JPJ and JB. By the latter stages of 75 though there contribution had become vastly greater and Jones especially provides a real drive to the piece all the way though including Page's soloing. I think Page's style from 75 onwards makes a lot more sense in that context as well, he leaves more room for the others and the focus is on epic buildups plus I think the contrast between Jones piano and his harsher sound works really well.

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4 hours ago, greenman said:

I'd definitely take 73 versions over early 75 versions as there pretty similar just with Page not as fluid. Again though I think those earlier live versions suffer from the focus being almost totally on Page,  its a great solo definitely but that's what it is a solo with limited backing from JPJ and JB. By the latter stages of 75 though there contribution had become vastly greater and Jones especially provides a real drive to the piece all the way though including Page's soloing. I think Page's style from 75 onwards makes a lot more sense in that context as well, he leaves more room for the others and the focus is on epic buildups plus I think the contrast between Jones piano and his harsher sound works really well.

 

I've been listening to all the February shows from 75 and for a guy who smashed his finger in train door only a few weeks before his playing is fantastic.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On Friday, August 12, 2016 at 2:34 PM, greenman said:

Yeah the Badge holders version would probably be in my top 10, when I say a bit less than the sum of its parts I don't  mean bad at all just that I don't think they build atmosphere though out as consistently as some other versions.

I'd guess a top 10 of something like...

21/3/75

25/3/75

27/3/75

18/5/75

23/5/75

24/5/75

28/4/77

11/6/77

21/6/77

23/6/77

I was just listening to the 3/25/75 first show in LA on Saturday night and Jimmy's playing on No Quarter is so fast and fluid it has flashes of his form from the March 1973 European tour. Your top 10 is very similar to mine. The No Quarter from 3/25 is neck-and-neck with the 3/21 Seattle spectacle.

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On ‎29‎/‎08‎/‎2016 at 2:09 PM, Jimmy's Dragon Suit said:

I was just listening to the 3/25/75 first show in LA on Saturday night and Jimmy's playing on No Quarter is so fast and fluid it has flashes of his form from the March 1973 European tour. Your top 10 is very similar to mine. The No Quarter from 3/25 is neck-and-neck with the 3/21 Seattle spectacle.

The 21/3 version does have the benefit that the Jones/Bonham section is amazingly powerful but I think the 25/3 is a bit more fluid, the switch back to keyboards halfway though from JPJ makes it interesting as well. My favourite version will always be 27/3 though, maybe Page isn't quite as fluid as the 2nd LA show but I think its the most well constructed ever, no wasted time from JPJ at all in his solo and an amazing build up in the three piece solo.

Its a great shame really that we still don't have an official release of a 75 NQ as I think the way the track evolved into jazz fusion is an aspect of Zep that's otherwise overlooked and something that greatly pushes them away from the typical hard rock/metal label just as the earlier folky material does.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

I've always found No Quarter to be one of Zep's most consistently good live songs. I just listened to 5/26/77, and while the performance as a whole is rather sluggish, that No Quarter is very dynamic and interesting, imo. That being said, here are some of my favorites:

5/13/73

6/2/73

TSRTS original soundtrack (pity it's compiled from multiple nights, but Page's solo alone is worth it)

2/12/75

3/27/75 (my personal favorite of the 1975 US tour)

5/24/75

5/25/75

6/21/77

6/23/77 (my all time favorite)

6/27/77

7/24/79

A pity they shortened it and then eventually eliminated it from the setlist altogether. I know they wanted to "cut the waffle" so to speak, but No Quarter was one of their "epic" numbers that I've always loved (unlike, say, a 1975 Dazed, or one of Bonzo's long drum solos). Oh well, I suppose I should be happy that we have so many great versions as it is!

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Hey guys,

 

Long time Zep fan. 34 yrs old, got into them in my early 20s, it was HTWWW when it came out that really turned me on to them, so I guess I've always approached them as a live band first.

Bootleg collecting remains very much a work in progress, but from what I have heard so far I like the original TSRTS version of course (not the remaster), as well as:

2-12-75

3-17-75 (hasn't been mentioned a whole lot on this thread, but I just love it)

3-21-75

6-21-77

6-23-77

Don't like the Destroyer version at all, 5-30-77 sounds a lot better to me. I also like 6-25-77 although the main jam seems more "tired" compared to Eddie and Badgeholders. I'm going to be listening to more in the coming weeks as I've got a few additional boots on the way (Christmas shopping! yay!)

 

Overall, I must say that I definitely prefer the '75 "grand piano" NQ to the '77 equivalent. Out of the ones listed above, I'd rank the three '75 versions that I have heard above all of my '77 versions. In general, the band smoked in '75.

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10 hours ago, Phoenix1982 said:

Hey guys,

 

Long time Zep fan. 34 yrs old, got into them in my early 20s, it was HTWWW when it came out that really turned me on to them, so I guess I've always approached them as a live band first.

Bootleg collecting remains very much a work in progress, but from what I have heard so far I like the original TSRTS version of course (not the remaster), as well as:

2-12-75

3-17-75 (hasn't been mentioned a whole lot on this thread, but I just love it)

3-21-75

6-21-77

6-23-77

Don't like the Destroyer version at all, 5-30-77 sounds a lot better to me. I also like 6-25-77 although the main jam seems more "tired" compared to Eddie and Badgeholders. I'm going to be listening to more in the coming weeks as I've got a few additional boots on the way (Christmas shopping! yay!)

 

Overall, I must say that I definitely prefer the '75 "grand piano" NQ to the '77 equivalent. Out of the ones listed above, I'd rank the three '75 versions that I have heard above all of my '77 versions. In general, the band smoked in '75.

The 3-17-75 version (and the show as a whole) is definitely underrated, but I like the audience version better than the soundboard.

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What other '77 lounge jams featured a faced-paced boogie like 5-30-77? I love it, it's the only one I've found so far, I think it's so much better than the usual thing (and having a real bass presence on the Landover sb definitely helps).

 

Btw, I love the sound quality of 5-30-77. The combination of the bass, clear guitar, and actual mids (such as they are) seems really hard to beat for that year! What other '77 sb's sound as good? (like, the Destroyer for example doesn't sound as powerful to my ears)

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On 12/10/2016 at 11:34 AM, Phoenix1982 said:

Btw, I love the sound quality of 5-30-77. The combination of the bass, clear guitar, and actual mids (such as they are) seems really hard to beat for that year! What other '77 sb's sound as good? (like, the Destroyer for example doesn't sound as powerful to my ears)

Texas Hurricane (5-22-77)

All of the other Landover shows (5-25-77, 5-26-77, 5-28-77)

I do know the first MSG show (6-7-77) is now available on soundboard. I've not heard it yet (will do so when I get the opportunity), but it's probably worth checking out.

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On 12/10/2016 at 9:34 AM, Phoenix1982 said:

What other '77 lounge jams featured a faced-paced boogie like 5-30-77? I love it, it's the only one I've found so far, I think it's so much better than the usual thing (and having a real bass presence on the Landover sb definitely helps).

 

Damn, I wish I could find that compilation I made a few years ago of all the 1977 "No Quarter" boogie sections...

I'm going from memory here, but the "fast paced boogie" section like May 30 was also featured on May 28, June 8, June 10, June 13, June 19 and June 22. June 22 is a rough sounding recording, but if you like the May 30 boogie, you'd love the June 22nd.

When it comes to the "boogie sections" in the 1977 "No Quarter", I believe the only "one offs" (i.e. those variations were only played the one time) that we know of were April 30 and May 25. I've never heard another boogie section that sounds remotely like either of those two. Ditto for the blues jam they go into on June 23rd, another one off (even though that style is hinted at on April 28)

The Oklahoma and Chicago boogies are all similar to the point of being interchangable (what I call the "Honky Tonk Boogie")

The Cincinatti and Atlanta boogies are similar (sort of across between, say, the Houston and May 30 boogies)

The Birmingham, Houston, Landover May 26 are similar ("The Stomper", I call 'em)

As mentioned we have the "Fast paced" featured at the dates I counted above. That variation could have been the most played, I think.

June 21, June 25, June 26, June 27, July 17 and July 23 all feature a New Orleans shuffle-style boogie section where the only real variation is in the tempo. Page is absent from the jam on July 23, guitar issues, from the sound of it.

No boogie section at all on July 24. As for the rest of the shows, either they don't circulate at all or the recordings miss "No Quarter" completely (i.e. Tempe).

The infamous "Nutrocker" (no, not me :lol: ) was played on April 25, April 28, May 22, and June 7, although it wouldn't surprise me if it cropped up once or twice more during the tour (I'd bet it was tried out in Dallas)

 

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On 12/12/2016 at 5:35 AM, Nutrocker said:

Damn, I wish I could find that compilation I made a few years ago of all the 1977 "No Quarter" boogie sections...

The infamous "Nutrocker" (no, not me :lol: ) was played on April 25, April 28, May 22, and June 7, although it wouldn't surprise me if it cropped up once or twice more during the tour (I'd bet it was tried out in Dallas)

 

Hey, if you do ever come across that complication... :lol:

I guess it says something about the extent to which I am Zepped out, but I honestly love the Nutrocker! And, it does make for a cool handle. After listening to the 4-28 NQ it is currently one of my favorite ones from '77, actually.

On an unrelated note, the Dogs of Doom howl effect in the final verse (and also when Jonesy switches from keys to piano) is Page's theremin, right? Also, sometimes they play the Winds of Thor effect instead of Dogs for the final verse. Is that Page / theremin also? 

Anyway, somebody who has all the boots should make a complication of all the Dogs from over the years. Some of them were pretty tripped out!

Gosh, I'm a nerd!

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  • 3 months later...

To answer this question I have to divide the versions up by tour, because the 73s, 75s, and 77s are so different.  Recently I listened to alot of my 1975 NQ collection.  Overall I would have to say that my 1975 favorite is March 27 at the LA Forum.  All three instrumentalists shine in a superb jam.  There are so may amazing 1975 versions but this one is my favorite.

For 1977 it would have to be  June 23.

For 1973, I am going to have to go back and listen to them all again !

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On 10/6/2016 at 9:19 AM, ZosoAddict said:

The Landover Maryland '77 show has stood out to me. Part of the appeal is Jones piano parts. The man is such an underrated musician.

Has it ever been established which Landover show JPJ peppered his "No Quarter" solo with the Rachmanioff bits because Russian Embassy workers were in the audience, as told by Peter Grant in The Concert Files?

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1 hour ago, Nutrocker said:

Has it ever been established which Landover show JPJ peppered his "No Quarter" solo with the Rachmanioff bits because Russian Embassy workers were in the audience, as told by Peter Grant in The Concert Files?

Not that I am aware of. JPJ is the most underrated member of the band in my opinion.

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